Ep. 82 - Circumstantial Evidence

May 22, 2020

Writer: Tim Reid and Peter Torokvei
Director: Frank Bonner
Original Air Date: February 24, 1982
*** VERY IMPORTANT***

I have no evidence to back this up, but here's what I think happened while making this episode: writers Tim Reid and Peter Torokvei wanted to write a script that focused on Big Ideas, like racial inequality in the justice system and the power of faith in times of crisis. They also wanted it to be really funny, with a set piece for all of the cast members to be on a witness stand and a clever opening in which Reid would be the receiver of romantic advances, rather than his usual persuer role. There were a lot of ideas to be touched on but when the script came back, it was about 10-15 minutes too long. So someone, whether the producers or the network or the writers themselves decided that the parts to leave in were the comedy bits and give short shrift to the Big Ideas.

This makes the ending seemed rushed; maybe even a little confusing.

The opening is simple and a play on a long running joke: Venus has snuck a woman up to the station late at night during his shift. He has even pre-recorded the show to spend more intimate time with the lovely Jessica Langtree. She gives Venus a diamond earring. "This is a gift?" he asks, and she says what turns out to be her most honest line in the episode "You're not too perceptive. I like that in a man."

To Venus' confusion, Jessica walks out in the middle of their date. He doesn't know what happened until two police officer come to the station. Jessica has been arrested and named Venus as her accomplice in a string of jewellery store robberies. Johnny, in disguise visits Venus in holding and explains the situation, to both him and us. Jessica was stopped with the stolen jewellery and Venus is suspected because he is the one who snuck her past the building's security guards.

That's a lot just in the first few minutes of the show.

Frank Bonner gives us some nice direction by using the very funny sight of Johnny in a fake beard, in the visitors' room of the jail as a vehicle to deliver a lot of exposition to the audience. The "dancing vs. boxing" routine provides a good shorthand as to how far out of his element Venus is in jail.

Oh, and by the way... Venus is right. Jennifer should absolutely be the person to get him a lawyer, not Mr. Carlson. But that would have ended the show in three minutes.

Max Wright returns as WKRP's Mama-provided lawyer, Mr. Bartman, and he goes through a painfully drawn out explanation on the definition of circumstantial evidence. But he begins this speech by saying "The law is set up by, and for, our society as a whole." I'm sure he, and any other lawyer of his generation was taught that very phrase on Day One of law school. But look who he's saying that to... a room full of white people. This is not a coincidence. This is a message the writers are trying to get across to the audience. Unfortunately, it is even more strongly felt by today's audience. There is no point, from the moment Venus gets handcuffed in his own workplace to here, that we believe he is not in danger from the system. Not just at it's mercy, but really threatened by what is about to happen to him.

What is about to happen is only a preliminary hearing to determine if the state has enough evidence to proceed with a trial. We're not even at the trial stage yet, but the feeling of danger against Venus is real.

Bartman wants the whole WKRP staff to act as character witnesses at the hearing (except for Les, unless things go bad, which of course means we are going to see Les on the stand) and this is just a blatant excuse to get everyone on the witness stand. In a real hearing, only Andy has anything relevant to say about the night in question.

In the courtroom, we learn Venus has been charged with five counts of burglary, one count of possession of stolen property, conspiracy to commit a felony and pandering. That's quite a bit. Venus is in even more danger.

The lawyer (as well as the officer who handcuffed Venus) is black and that is not an accident. This lawyer is part of the system that is attacking Venus; it is not the lawyer himself who is attacking. He's doing his job to the best of his abilities and as we will soon see, he's doing a pretty good job.

The first witness called is Miss Langtree and even both Carlson and Herb say they like her on sight. This is another commentary - if these two white men didn't personally know Venus, they would have pre-judged Langtree as someone they liked before she had even said a word! She claims that she was a "victim of love" who would do whatever Venus told her to do. Venus makes himself look reckless by jumping up and yelling that she's lying. But this causes the whole courtroom, including his own lawyer, to look unfavourably at Venus.

"I'm not going to sit here and let her lie!" Venus tells his lawyer. "You have to. This is a court of law!"

As predicted, the staff's testimony only goes to wreck Venus' credibility. Carlson admits the composite police sketch does look like Venus. Bailey is condesending to the judge and goes off on a tangent about killing baby seals (?!?) Johnny is asked if he himself has ever been arrested and we cut to Jennifer before we ever get his answer.

The most damning testimony comes from Venus' best friend Andy, verifying Venus had used the prerecorded tape of his show for an hour (maybe? maybe more?) and that he couldn't confirm where Venus was during that time. Andy feels terrible about it.

Back on the stand, we get a couple of callbacks to past episodes. Herb tells the story from ep. 66  "Nothing to Fear but..." of when Venus pulled a gun on Andy.  Then Les (who was only being called upon if they were going for a mistrial) repeats the store from ep. 44 "Filthy Pictures pt 2" of the gang breaking into the photographer's studio.

Finally, Venus takes the stand. He makes a good point that the composite picture is of a black man with a beard. But then he starts to bury himself. He claims the worst thing he ever did was worked on Nixon's campaign because "a good-looking girl asked him to."

The judge rules there is enough evidence, circumstantial as it may be, to proceed to grand jury. Bail is set at $200,000.

The rest of the episode runs only about four minutes and is interrupted by a commercial break. This is where, I feel, all the big ideas get jammed in together. I remember watching this episode in syndication as a teenager and not understanding what was happening. It's all too rushed.

Venus is led to the elevator by one of the arresting officers. Venus once again pleads his innocence, but the cop isn't buying it. "I've never seen an innocent man go in. It just don't work that way, my friend." Next, Venus is mumbling to himself and the cop asks "What are you doing? Some sort of Muslim thing?" "Praying to my God" answers Venus.

Stop right there! There's a lot in that exchange. First go Google InnocenceProject.org about "it just don't work that way." Second, I understand that in 1982, the American public at large didn't know as much about Muslim culture as they do today, but even back then wouldn't "some sort of Muslim thing?" come off as offensive? It sounds as dismissive as "some sort of plantation voodoo thing that gets paint off a frog." Third, although we know Venus is a spiritual man, as is Tim Reid himself, answering with "praying to my God" seems very "other" as if his God is superior to whatever God the cop might be worshipping.

Back to the scene. The elevator doors open and Venus, lead by his police officer and Jessica Langtree, lead by her officer get on board. Just as the doors start to close, a third officer calls for them to hold it. He brings on a third person, who stands next to the still praying Venus. The cop looks at both of them, then over to Langtree who is clearly flustered, then back to the two men. They are identical. And what has this new bearded black man been arrested for? Jewellery store heist. The audience gasps and we go to commercial.

The epilogue is so long, a good chunk of the credit roll through it. Venus is back in the bullpen with Carlson, Andy, Johnny and Les. He explains Langtree was the ringleader of the jewellery heists all along and had tricked the doppelganger the same way she had tricked him. He calls it "a miracle - pure and simple."

I wish this had been a two part episode and if WKRP hadn't been on the verge of cancellation at the time it was recorded, it might have been. There was a lot of humour that could have come out of the Venus-doppelganger idea., or more conspiracy theories from Les about the justice system. I guess I mean to say that the writers chose to go a punchier, more targeted direction like boxing and I would have preferred a little more dancing.

Roy

Other Notes - So many important guest stars! First among them, Daphne Maxwell played Jessica Langtree. She has had a long and successful career, as a regular on "Simon and Simon" and Tim's Reid own "Frank's Place" and most famously as the second Aunt Viv on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." But by that time, her credits read as Daphne Maxwell-Reid and she has been Mrs. Venus Flytrap since 1982. If you were trying to remember where you had seen Venus' arresting officer before, try picturing him with a Russian accent. Michael Pataki played Ivan the Russian defector in ep. 39 "The Americanization of Ivan."